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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. (J.` GUERRANT AND B. J. FIELD, OF LEAKSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.l

MACHINE FOR EN'GRAVIN-G.

Spccication forming part of Letters Patent No. 60,506, dated December 13, 1866.

To all whom it may concer-n:

Be it known that we, J. C. GUERRANT and B.J. FIELD, otl Leaksville, in the county of Rockingham and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful machine for the purpose of rendering the art of engraving upon plates ot' metal or other material easy to accomplish by any person ot' ordinary mental capacity; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof', so that any one skilled in the art of working wood and metals will be enabled to construct and apply the same to use, reference being had to the annexed drawings,mak ing part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an isometrical projection showing our engraving-machine. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same with a portion of the apparatus removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line XX ot' Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end elevation, andl Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line XI Xl ot' Fig. 4.

In Fig. l the machine is represented as in condition for engraving upon a plane surface, as a plate, and in Figs. 2 and 3 it is shown as adapted to engrave upon the inside of a linger-ring.

vIn all the figures like parts are indicated by the same letters of reference.

A A is a plate which supports all the working parts of the apparatus, and which may be. secured to a bench or table by means of the screw-clamp B or any equivalent device. At or near the front end ofthe plate Ais attached a' hand-rest, (l, rendered adjustable vertically and horizontally by means ot' the screw and nuts D and the slot in thebar C'. At the rear end ot' the plate A is a depression to receive the plate E, which has liberty to slide freely crosswise on theplate A, which is here widened to give bearing to the plate E, which last has its top surface ush or in the same plane with the surface ot' the plate A, not forming a bed for itself. The plate A has an adjustingslot, A', (seen in the section Fig. 3,) extending across it, through which a screw-bolt, a, passes from the plate E, and the two plates are secured together in adjustment Aby the nut on the screw-bolt a. nother plate F F' rests upon the plate E, and is free to move to and from the operator on the plate E, to which it can be adj usted and secured by means of the screwbolt and nut b. The upright part F' of the plate F has on its front face a depression or recess to receive another plate, G, which also has a longitudinal motion independent of the plate F F', to which it may be adjusted and secured by the bolt and nut c through the longitudinal slotin the part F' ofthe plate F F'.

To the plate G is secured the plate or surface H upon which the deviceis to be engraved. This is. effected by means of the clampingscrews d d, (shown distinctlyin Figs. 1, 4, and 5,) which pass through slots in the plate G without being in contact with vthe plate F F'.

To the front edge ot the plate E is secured a rack, I, meshing with a segmental spur-gear, K, (seen only in Fig. 1,) playingloosely on the stai'L, forapurpose to be hereinafter described. This staff L, Fig. 3, passes vertically through rthe sleeve M, which isfr'ee to turn in the'socket N, attached to and forming partof the plate A. The sleeve M has a shoulder at its upper end, which rests upon the eye of thespur-gear K and prevents it from getting out of the rackI when it is used. At other times the shoulder rests upon the top of the plate A, and a nut,

e, keeps the sleeve Min its place in the socket N. The staffL is kept to its adjustment in the sleeve M, and is regulated in its vertical position by the nuts f above and below the sleeve M.

To the statt L isjointed at g the lever O O', which, it will be seen, has a universal motion around the axis of the vertical staft' or spindle L and on the horizontal joint g. The upright O' on the end ot` the lever O supports at its top an arm, P, made adjustable through the head of the upright 0', to which arin is jointedath theleverQ Q', descending vertically from the joint to a point in the prolongation of the axis of the lever O, which also passes through the axis ot' the joint g, where it re,- ceives the graving-tool c'. The lever Q Q', carrying the graving-tool, is bent forward so as to extend toward the operator, and is furnished with a weight, R, which,'byshii'ting its position on the lever Q', will exert avarying force, as may be desired, to press and keep the point of the graving-toolt' against the surface to be operated upon.

A metallic arc, S, rests on the plate A, and is secured in position by means ot' the pink passing through the slot in the plate A, Where it is held by a nut, k', pressing against the under side of the plate. From the extremities of this arc rise standards S S, supporting a l'rame, T, of about the same curvature as the arc, and made adjustable vertically by means of the screws and nuts l l. Fitting between ledges or in grooves in the top and bottom ot' the frame T is a thin plate, on which the pattern of the device or design to be engraved is secured. An adjustable sleeve, U, slides freely on the lever O, and is heldin adjustment by a set-screw. A stylus or pointed follower, m, is attached by thin elasticarmsmm to the sleeve U by means of small pivots passing through the ends ot' the arms m,around which pivots, between the sleeve U and the. ends of the arms m', small spiral springs are so set as to have one end secured to the sleeve, while the other end presses against the arm m and keeps the point of the stylus against the pattern on the thin plate in the frame T.

The are S and frame T are attached to the spur-gear K by a rod, a, which passes through the arc in a direction normal to its curve,near the plate A; and as the arc and frame supporting the pattern may be swung or vibrated around the staff L as a center, so the spurgear K will cause the plate E to slide upon its bed, carrying with it the plates F andG, in a direction contrary to that taken by the arc. The object of this arrangement is to change the position of the plate to be graven, as well as `that of the pattern, without altering the teld of motlonof the lever 0.

Vhen it is required to engrave on theinner or concave surface of a'ring, the spur-gear and rack are removed and a staff or spindle, V, adjustable in the sleeve W, is used, carrying' on its upper end the ring-holder Y, Figs. 2 land 3. This ring-holder is a cup or hollow cylin der, within which the ring can be placed concentrically and held by the setscrews r i', which press upon the outer surface ofthe ring and leave the inner surface uninterrupted for the action of the graving-tool, as seen in section, Fig. 3. In this case the rod n connects the arc S and its adjuncts with the ring in the holder hy means ot the yoke Z, within which the. staff or spindle L rises, out of the way of interference with the rod fn..

To the front end of the bent lever Q is attached an elastic cord, s, furnished with aring forvthe finger, which is to be used wheneverit is necessary to give the graver more force than would be derived from the weight R.

' The operation of our machine is as follows: Thel plate or the ring to be engraved, as the case may be,having been iixed in position, the pattern is'secured upon the plate in the frame T, whichis'then adjusted vertically and laterally by the means described of the pin 7c and the rod M and screws l l. The sleeve V, sup port-ing the stylus m, is then adjusted so that the point of the stylus may press upon the pattern and follow it in tracing every part. Motion is then given to the lever O, causing the stylus to follow the lines of the pattern, when the graver will produce an exact facisimile upon the surface to be wrought upon, the joint hin the arm P allowing the graver to compensate for the difference between the plate to be engraved and the curved surface of the patthat the point ofthe stylus may follow the pattern without wavering.

Having thus fully descr-ibed our invention, what we claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The arrangement, substantially as described, of the adjustable plates E F G, with their slots and set-screws, in combination with the supporting plate A, for the purpose and substantially in the manner set forth.

2. The levers 0 O and Q Q', with. the adjustable arm P and joints g and L, arranged substantially as set forth, in combination with the adjustable stati' L and sleeve M, for the purpose of allowing universal motion and adjustment to-said levers O O and Q Q', as set forth.

3. The vibrating arc S and pattern-frame T, constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth, in combination with the plate A and its adjuncts, as set fortli.

4. The arrangement, substantially as set forth, of the stylus or tracing-point m and its adjuncts, wherebyit will be always kept against the pattern, as described, in combination with the adjustable sleeve U, as set forth.

5. The. ring-holder Y, with its set-screws11 r, or equivalent device, arranged'and made adjustable by means of the stati' V and sleeve W, substantially as set forth.

To the above specification of our improvement in engraving-machines we have set our hands this 6th day of August, 1866.

J. (J. GUERRANT.

B. J. FIELD.

'itnesses:

P. D. WADE, D. E. FIELD. 

